Source Description

This official rating certificate for the film “The Rose Garden” issued by the German Motion Picture Rating
AgencyDeutsche
Filmbewertungsstelle in Wiesbaden is in the
collection of the German Film
Institute’sDeutsches
Filminstitut, or Dif
e.V.Artur
Brauner Archives in Frankfurt a.M. It was
issued upon request on April 24, 1990. In
addition to the film’s technical data such as its length (3080 m), running time
(113 mins), aspect ratio (35 mm) or language (German), the document also names
the company CCC-Filmkunst LLC as its production company. It is
to them that this letter is addressed. According to the certificate, the feature
film was given a permanent rating of “highly recommended” based on an internal
vote of 4:1. The film is described as a “social issues drama” and tagged with
keywords such as “coming to terms with the past,” “guilt and atonement,”
“persecution of Jews,” “German justice system,” “politically engaged,” and
“social criticism.” The section explaining the committee’s rating includes a
brief plot summary and mainly highlights the acting, character development, and
the film’s detailed observation, which the reviewers also saw reflected in the
combination of image and sound. The production date, which coincided with Germany’s
reunification, is seen as adding to the film’s significance because
it prompted a new period of thinking in historical terms about one’s home
country. First, this document can be read as a source shedding light on the
trends in the culture of remembrance in Germany; moreover, the
plot of this film shot in locations in Hamburg and Frankfurt also tells
the story of the historic events that occurred at the school on Bullenhuser
Damm in Hamburg.